No other reasonexcept love
by RoseScor90
Summary: written for the peanut challenge! Luna never understood why he kept singling her out, until one day, she fights back. Will Blaise Zabini's persistence reveal the truth to her ignorant heart?


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters…**

"Tongue tied, Lovegood?"

The mob of Slytherins with him laughed at her, as she undid the constricting knot in her tie and coughed a few times to clear her throat.

She refused to look at him, or even acknowledge that he was standing before her.

After all, it was always the same with him.

Ever since she had stumbled upon him in a deserted corridor in her third year, he had taken to pranking her each time he happened to see her.

He used an assortment of spells, all of she which she had learnt the reverse for, but, this seemed to be his favored one.

"An apple? What would a loony like you want an apple for?"

"Well, you know, it keeps the doctor away, but I wonder…what would keep a git like you away?"

She regretted it instantly. She shouldn't have said such rude things to him.

Her run-ins with Blaise Zabini always left her regretting her words, which Ginny thought was ridiculous since he was the one who had humiliated her in the first place.

"Finally developed a tongue, have you? And you don't have to worry; the very vibe of your insanity would keep any sane person away"

"Well, then I'm justified in worrying about keeping you away, aren't I?"

Blaise looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected her to reply.

The watching crowd had now gotten bored and had dispersed, in search of some other form of entertainment.

Left alone in the corridor, Luna felt nervous.

_No good would come of this. _

He sauntered towards her, a smirk on his face.

"You aren't as menacing as your friend, you know?"

"No? Why then are you moving backwards?"

She checked her retreat and stood, facing his coal black eyes with her own dreamy blue ones.

She now understood why he was considered more dangerous than even Malfoy.

Malfoy was all talk and flash. He threw his hatred straight at people's face without any shilly-shallying.

But this one was the hardest to discern. It was next to impossible to determine his thoughts, and hence, his actions always surprised his opponent, giving him a sure victory.

Or that's what Hermione had told her from her analysis of his dueling methods.

Luna congratulated herself for remembering this, since she thought it would give her a chance at escaping their duel with fewer scratches.

But, to her astonishment, he crossed over till he was directly in front of her, averting his eyes from hers as if what he saw in them disgusted him.

"I'd much rather you stood at least ten feet away from me if we are to duel. After all, my 'vibe of insanity' might confuse you" she said, in an unnaturally scathing voice.

"Throwing my words back at me? Clever Lovegood! And I never said any thing about dueling, did I now?" he was smirking at having successfully surprised her into silence.

She recovered quickly, having expected some trap in his moves.

"Even so, I think it would be prudent if you didn't stand so near me. You wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, would you?" she said, rejoicing at having finally found an unavoidable reason.

There was a sudden gleam in his eyes and she knew she had said some thing she shouldn't have.

"It would be better for my reputation if I was seen with a close acquaintance of the Golden trio, wouldn't it?"

"You are a Slytherin. I think I'd damage your reputation simply by being in the same building as you" she retorted jubilantly, as if she had caused the fall of an empire.

"Funny why I don't avoid you then, don't you think?"

Luna looked at his face in confusion.

"Think about it, Lovegood. I'm not one to risk ruining my reputation for some thing as silly as pranking some one. That's what the first years are here for. Why else would I seek you out?"

"Because I'm an easier target? And I don't react so easily to your taunts?"

"Your so naïve, Lovegood. But, no, that isn't it. Try coming up with a better answer the next time. Till we meet again!"

Luna was left alone in the corridor, her hand on her chin where he had held her.

And she thought she understood what he had meant. Or she hadn't.

If she was right, and if she knew her own self as well as she claimed, she was in trouble.

Trouble with a capital't'.

_A year later:_

"Expelliarmus!" she cried and another death eater's wand jumped out of his hand and fell to the floor.

"Incarcerous!"

Hearing that low, familiarly seductive voice behind her, she turned around to find a death eater at her feet.

"He was trying to attack you from behind" he said easily as he searched the place for another to battle.

"He's a Slytherin! He'll do whatever it takes to win" Luna stated, already battling another.

"Not all of us are death eaters, Lovegood. Some of us do have the true Slytherin spirit left in us"

"What does that mean?"

"We are ambitious. And very protective of the people we care for" he said as a parting shot, chasing the death eater who was now apparating and disapparating to distract him.

So Ginny and Hermione had been right.

But, she didn't have time to mull over these thought, for, she had a battle to win.

She could always hunt him down later.

Seeing a dementor pack advance towards Harry, Ron and Hermione, she ran towards them, her patronus dazzling before her.

A/n: Review!


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